


I'll Be In Your Care

by Aikona



Category: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, danganronpa v3 - Fandom, ndrv3
Genre: Confession, F/M, Fluff, Highschool Sweetheart, Loosely based competition, Requited Love, Romance, Self-Doubt, Stumbling teenagers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 17:30:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15272625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aikona/pseuds/Aikona
Summary: Throughout their high school career, Saihara and Akamatsu had been really good friends. He had been struggling with himself, and she ultimately helped him through his doubts. Saihara had never been one to initiate things, never one to complain, never one to stand out or put effort into things he deemed unredeemable… yet Akamatsu had changed that.Saihara had always seen Akamatsu as someone amazing.





	I'll Be In Your Care

It had been a very important moment in Akamatsu’s life. She had landed herself first in the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, with a sum of $23,000, a bouquet of flowers, and a small trophy to commemorate her name. Never once did she display a bragging or boastful bone in her body throughout her praise.

She had sat gracefully in front of her grand piano as fingers fluttered over the keys; heart pouring out to thousands of people in their seats. She cried when they applauded her, and held onto the flowers with trembling fingers as she thanked everyone with her whole heart.

Saihara, who had been her plus one on the trip, had sat in the front row, his face blank and legs numb from her incredible performance. His jaw had been gaped open the entire time, from beginning to end, as his hands were clenched tightly onto his dress suit pants. He knew his face must have been bright red… and he knew that he could never surmount to anything that Akamatsu could possibly do, yet… he relished in it. Relished in her talents. She was… nothing short of amazing.

Watching her up there, on that stage… how could he have been the one chosen to witness it in person? Everyone else as home would watch it from their screens, their TV’s… why had he been special? Saihara couldn’t understand it at all. 

Much less when Akamatsu had looked him in the eye after receiving her gifts and smiling at him with teary eyes. Much like his teeth, Saihara’s heart clenched. A girl who had graduated high school merely a year before this event… she could do something so unbelievably remarkable. Along with suffocating inferiority, he felt a sense of pride for her. 

 

She did it… of course she did!

 

Saihara lingered in his seat as throngs of people had began to vacate the facility quickly; as if they had never been there in the first place. Perhaps he was still enamored by what he had just seen, or perhaps still in the moment of it. It was only when he saw Akamatsu parting from the crowd of people who went to congratulate her that he snapped back to his senses somewhat. Standing up quickly, albeit so abruptly he had to hold onto the seat behind him for support, Akamatsu approached with an urgent gleam in her eye. Flowers and trophy in hand, Saihara quickly offered to hold something for her, as she allowed the trophy to go into his hands.

Looking over the golden surface briefly, he was once again lost in a world of amazement towards her accomplishments. The trophy was beautiful… though, while he stared at it Saihara came to realize it hadn’t been the golden surface he was staring at. A reflection… Akamatsu reflected perfectly on it. 

Feeling a hand grace the side of his arm, Saihara looked up quickly. Realizing she now had his attention, Akamatsu looked as though she hadn’t an idea what to do, as her eyes flicked quickly to the side.

“U-um, Saihara-kun…” She started. “What did you think?” 

“...” His mouth dropped open once more. _What did I think?_ He repeated to himself. _What do you think I could’ve thought, Akamatsu-san?_

“Y-you…” He pretended he wasn’t still daunted by her. “You’re _amazing_ , Akamatsu-san! I’ve never seen anyone play the piano as incredibly as you do.”

Saihara meant his brief words. Tucking some hair behind her own ear, a motion Saihara had come to notice when she was nervous, Akamatsu appeared as though she still had something to say. 

Before Saihara could prompt her, Akamatsu’s hand reached out toward his wrist. The grip was loose, but still gave off an impression of urgency. 

“S-Saihara-kun… would you please come with me?” Her face red, the two of them almost always seemed to be at odds when it came to avoiding an almost awkward air between them. 

“Y-yes, of course…” Complying, Saihara followed as the loose grip on his wrist slid slowly, until Akamatsu’s fingers instead gently held onto Saihara’s own. 

Entering a vacant storage room for musical equipment, Akamatsu softly shut the door behind them. It smelled like old books and the wood of old instruments, as several music sheet stands stood in the corner along with an old piano and abandoned musical cases. Akamatsu had set her flowers down on a table, a gesture Saihara followed with the trophy, as hesitant eyes caught each other’s gaze. 

“Saihara-kun…”

“Akamatsu-san?”

Her voice implicating something Saihara couldn’t understand, while his own voice seemed far too honest in his own insecurities, Akamatsu’s fingers once again reached for his, as she clasped them loosely together. Saihara returned her grip, their flushed faces being an exact mirror of one another. 

“I…” She tried to formulate her thoughts, and in return her embarrassment reflected onto Saihara, who also had no idea how to handle the situation. He wanted to cover his face, though the hands that occupied his own took up more importance.

“I promised myself that if I worked hard enough, and won this competition… that I’d tell you something really important.”

Throughout their high school career, Saihara and Akamatsu had been really good friends. He had been struggling with himself, and she ultimately helped him through his doubts. Saihara had never been one to initiate things, never one to complain, never one to stand out or put effort into things he deemed unredeemable… yet Akamatsu had changed that. 

She made him want to complain. She made him want to strive for ways to make things better… and, most importantly, she showed him the pathway to friendship. He met so many great people because of her. Without her… what would he have become? It was a thought that was completely unfathomable to imagine.

Saihara had always seen Akamatsu as someone amazing. 

At some point, it had come to his own realization that he could no longer sit still whenever they were alone together, and, somehow… things had become different. Perhaps it had been around their second year in high school. Around that time, Saihara suddenly felt as though a million eyes melted holes in his skin as soon as he and Akamatsu shared the same space. It wasn’t as often Akamatsu shared the same embarrassment to such an exaggerated degree as Saihara, but… when she did, neither of them could function without a few sputters and stumbles, despite no pressure existing on either of them at all. 

“Saihara-kun… I’ve known you for a while now, and…” She paused again, as she visibly pouted in frustration. Through flushed cheeks, it was clear to assume she was irritated that the words she wanted to say wouldn’t flow as freely or as confidently as she’d like to originally believe. “Aww… jeez! This is so embarrassing! Especially when you’re staring at me like that…” Her eyes looked up once more only to find Saihara’s direct gaze; proving her point.

“A-ah-” Saihara came to the sudden realization. “W-was I? I didn’t mean to…” His immaculate excuse didn’t convince Akamatsu at all. 

“Jeez…” Akamatsu exhaled, before remembering the situation they were in. “Anyway… as I was saying…” Saihara could feel his heartbeat pounding through his ears, down to his feet, even through the palms that were pressed against Akamatsu’s.

“Saihara-kun… I… _I like you!_ Will you go out with me?” 

It was a feeble and meek confession, one that Akamatsu stumbled over and couldn’t place exactly right; every factor of her confession being a complete contradiction of her performance on stage in front of thousands moments prior. 

Swallowing, Saihara’s mind began churning with a whirlwind of thoughts. When he was nervous, scared, or otherwise, he would begin remembering things, or likewise putting things together that he had never considered before. In the moment he had been currently thrown in, he remembered that first year of highschool, when he met Akamatsu. 

He remembered how she lead him around school, or, how she seemingly was able to walk around as though she had been there forever, even though it had been the first day for the two of them. Even though she made the same mistakes as everyone else, she never stopped smiling. Saihara had never seen her cry. That first day of knowing her, Saihara had never had any close friends. He never considered having any. 

He was clumsy, meek, and unimpressive. No matter how hard he tried, that was his reality. However, Akamatsu hated when he viewed himself like that. That first day, when she held onto his hand for the first time and told him to come meet her friends, Saihara wondered when they would leave him behind. 

Saihara remembered something else; of the time when he realized Akamatsu wasn’t an impenetrable fortress, yet, she would always be stronger than any wall that Saihara could build around himself. He had discovered, without being told directly and without ever seeing it, that Akamatsu cried alone in the music room when things got hard. He remembered being a bit early to meet her after school, and headed to the music room where she practiced; only to find her walking out with the slight red irritation in her eyes and the softened eyelashes that had been, just moments prior, soaked in tears. 

Saihara noticed, of course. However, Akamatsu pretended not to have caught onto his knowing so. She talked to him normally, a fixed smile and all, even though Saihara knew she must have had it rough. He didn’t bring it up, didn’t push it, and in return, Akamatsu never brought it up either. She didn’t want to trouble others, and for that she was strong. She didn’t want to trouble others, and for that she was weak, just like everyone else. The two sentences replayed in Saihara’s mind. 

Saihara couldn’t understand it. He couldn’t understand anything. 

“Akamatsu-san, I’m sorry…” His hand came up to his face, as his voice cracked.

Her face immediately froze, eyes searching.

“Of course I want to go out with you, I just…”

It was no longer something he could help. As the first stray tear fell, they began to trail down his face relentlessly. Embarrassed, his red face and blurry eyes making a mess of himself, he looked towards Akamatsu, as he tried to continue.

“I’m sorry…” His small voice rang out, grabbing sheepishly for an excuse for his behavior. 

“I can’t understand… You’re such an incredible person, yet, I…” Saihara paused, as his words refused to sort themselves out carefully.

“I… s-someone like me… I like you so much… Of course I like you…” He wanted to disappear. Saihara wanted to curl up and disappear from the world forever. He had no reason to cry so much. However, the tears just wouldn’t stop. Looking up through muddled eyes, he was surprised to see Akamatsu’s expression in response.

Tears. 

“Ahh, you dummy…” She sniffled, just as nervous as Saihara had been. “You scared me half to death! What was with that ‘I’m sorry’? Twice!”

Saihara had half a mind to respond with an equally boundless remark, but the words never came out. 

“Jeez-!” Arms outstretched gently, Akamatsu pulled Saihara into a tight hug. Rubbing his back, she rested her head on his shoulder. 

“We look really uncool right now, don’t we?” 

Saihara nodded, a sheepish laugh escaping him. 

“Yeah, I guess we do…” Wrapping his arms around her in return, Saihara felt peace slowly resolve around them. 

“You have saved me again and again, Akamatsu-san. I can’t even begin to thank you…” 

“You don’t need to treat me as some extravagant person! I was only able to help you because you accepted my help. You just wanted to be somewhere where you felt accepted.”

Closing his eyes, the helplessness of emotions subsiding, Saihara pressed a kiss to Akamatsu’s forehead. Smiling, Akamatsu looked up at him. 

“Besides, I have you to thank, too! Thank you for listening to me, and being there for me when I needed you the most. I’ll be in your care!”

“... I-I always did my best because you were there. I’m also in your care.”


End file.
